Baseball and the List!
Baseball has a problem. They have a big problem and they need to correct it. Over the past several months, several names of players, who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, have leaked out from a drug testing that took place in 2003. This was supposed to be a survey testing that was done to see just how many people in that game were juiced and 104 players came back with positive samples. 104? Think about that. They told them that there was a test coming and 104 players still could not pass the test and tested positive. Slowly, those names have started to come out and they are the biggest names in the game. Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez are the biggest names and we haven’t even seen 5% of the list. Should baseball release the whole list and take their lumps or should they just let the list come out slowly through media outlets as they have to date. Here are the two sides.
Do not release the list! This was never meant to be official testing and was only meant to be done to gather data. The players only agreed to testing after an assurance that something like this would not happen. Because that is the agreement, you can’t go back on your word and change your mind in the face of public pressure.
Release the List! Baseball is dirty and needs to improve its image. The more they try to cover this up, the worse they look and right now, baseball looks really, really bad. First, the owners and the commissioner; I don’t believe for a second that they didn’t know what was happening in the 1990’s when records were being rewritten on a daily basis. I think they were completely aware of what was happening and chose not to do anything because it was making so much money. Ticket sales were up, jersey sales were up and nobody blew the whistle. Steroids haven’t been against the rules but they have been against the LAW!!! What about all the taxpayer dollars that were used to fund the stadiums where these violations occurred. If the senate and congress had any stones, they would have hearings with the owners and ask them, under oath, why they allowed illegal activities to take place in stadiums that were publicly funded. Let’s find out what they know and when they knew it.
The players are culpable as well. The players union for baseball is one of the most despicable organizations in America. For years they have fought to keep this under wraps and they have suppressed any half-hearted attempts by the owners to clean up baseball. They have created a culture where every player is assumed to be guilty until proven innocent and nobody was shocked when papi and many were named as people who were using PED’s. The players need to restore their own credibility but will not do so.
If you can’t already tell by my post, you should know which side I am on. Baseball needs to take their lumps and release the list. If they want to truly distance themselves from the steroid era, they should release the names and hand out suspensions. Also, they should fine the owners of the teams that these players were on. They allowed this to happen and they need to share in the blame for what has become of America’s game.
